By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Belle Vie Photography

Wayne’s famed Aux Petits Delices Bakery set the scene for a fun afternoon of sweets and suds.

Beer and candy go together like…well, actually quite nicely. A most unusual couple for any diehard beer lover and foodie like myself, it never occurred to me to pit gourmet chocolate, desserts and even fruit paste with the world’s finest beer. But when my friend ‘Dr.’ Joel Armato of New Holland Brewing Company suggested this would make for a most unique piece of winter editorial, I was game—albeit slightly skeptical. Turns out it is a gourmand’s dream.

Armato, I and three others (noted below) joined AML senior staff photographer Heather Berkenstock for an intriguing afternoon of several pairings and conversation at Chef Patrick Gauthron’s wildly successful Main Line bakery, Aux Petits Delices. Gauthron has been in the heart of Wayne for almost a quarter of a century—a phenomenal feat for any small business.

A former pastry chef at Le Bec Fin, Chef Patrick has carved out a loyal following among Main Line brides with his award-winning wedding cakes. His quaint bakery, open six days a week, attracts visitors from as far away as central Jersey who have deemed the travel worthy of his fine pastries, cakes and chocolates. Lucky for me Aux Petits Delices is in my hometown so I can pop in there any time!
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Belle Vie Photography

Meridith’s in Berwyn, one of the Main Line’s finest restaurants, was the perfect setting for AML’s January 11th business networking event.

Berwyn’s popular Meridith’s American Bistro was the perfect setting for AroundMainLine.com’s first ‘Monday Night Meetup,’ a new free business networking series for Main Liners to meet, make great connections and new friends. Over 70 attendees, 80% of whom were AML Facebook fans, enjoyed fine food and company on the evening of January 11th. “It was really a great group to network with, we were very pleased with the turnout” enthused owner Meridith McLoughlin.

As Philadelphia’s first emagazine, AML has established a very strong, loyal local following with over 1,000 Facebook fans and 1,600 followers on Twitter. Our successful night of networking was exclusively marketed via these social media channels. The vast majority of our attendees told us they had seen the event via our Facebook fan page or via a tweet/retweet from our Twitter account!
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By AML Publisher
Photos by Bernadette Uzcategui

Matt Guyer, owner of Wayne’s Beeryard, selected six of his favorite winter ales for the AML Holiday Beer Guide.

If there was ’such a thing’ in 2009 as a town crier, Wayne’s Matt Guyer would fit the bill. In Medieval England, town criers were the key means of news communication within the town because most locals could not read or write. In this modern day, that role is best played out by the dashingly good-looking Wayne native and beer aficionado.

The 38 year-old Guyer is in his twelfth year as owner of the Main Line’s most successful beer distributors, The Beer Yard. Trust me when I say it: when Guyer talks beer-everyone listens! The Beer Yard currently stocks 800-1100 different kinds of beer, considered the Delaware Valley’s best selection of ales bar none. I’ve worked with Matt on several beer articles to date in the last fifteen months. And, a holiday beer guide is now an annual tradition with yours truly and Guyer. This year we had a surprise guest contributor who lent his expertise. Joel Armato, an East Coast sales rep for Michigan’s New Holland Brewing Company, happened to be hanging at The Beer Yard for a company tasting last week when I stopped in for my scheduled fun.

So without further ado, Here Ye, Here Ye! Soak in our second annual AML guide to beers that will most certainly wow your guests this holiday season.

Cheers for a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Sarah Lockard
AroundMainLine.com CEO & ePublisher
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Belle Vie Photography

Ooka’s teppanyaki keeps patrons of all ages entertained during the popular Hibachi show.

The word Ooka (Oh’-kah) means cherry blossom in Japanese-and is a fitting title for one of the region’s most prosperous suburban restaurants. Fine Japanese dining in Montgomery County is here to stay and the buzz around Ooka Montgomeryville-which opened this summer-is palpable and purposeful. Duck consomme, Cajun tuna tataki, roasted Scottish salmon, raw maki, avocado sashimi-Ooka Montgomeryville’s menu reads like a wish list for lovers of sophisticated Asian cuisine.

Owners and brothers Benny and Lenny Huang, along with executive chef Shuji Hiyakawa and manager Skyler Strouth (both formerly of Center City’s Morimoto), have given Montgomeryville one sophisticated dining gem. Ooka restaurant opened in 1997 with a 35-seat fine dining restaurant in Doylestown. Since then, the Huang family has expanded to Willow Grove, Riverside, CA and now Montgomeryville. Benny and Lenny’s success is based on the fact they have relationships with the best seafood vendors in the world. “Because we resource from the world’s best, we try to be as authentic as we can get on the sushi side in the suburban area. Our goal is to offer new ideas and unique variety to our customer but keep our prices fair and reasonable. The variety of sushi and the sake list we offer is superior,” said Benny Huang.
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of Todd Zimmerman

The area’s top culinary talent will be on hand at the Wachovia Center for Appetite for Awareness on September 30th.

You’ve probably heard the term ‘gluten-free’ by now, or, most likely know someone who is not able to include gluten in their daily diet. Celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that involves intolerance for the protein found in wheat (known as gluten), affects 1 in 133 Americans. And through their annual event, an Ambler-based nonprofit is working to make Philadelphia one of the top cities in America dedicated to raising awareness and education about celiac disease.

Tonight, September 30th, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness will hold its annual Appetite for Awareness: A Gluten-Free Cooking Spree. Top chefs and doctors will be assembled into teams at the Wachovia Center in a challenge to create the best gluten-free dish. Guests will enjoy sampling gluten-free creations from over twenty-five of the area’s preeminent restaurants, gluten-free beer, wine, and products from over fifty of the nation’s finest gluten-free vendors.
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of April Ziegler Photography, Bernadette Uzcategui Photography and Joe Craig Photography.

The Lockard Family Men: Fathers and Sons, Grandfathers, Cousins and Brothers all gather at a family wedding at the Cairnwood Mansion with bride Rhian White joining the generation.Photo courtesy of Joe Craig Photography

Men sometimes make the best cheerleaders. And I’m not talking about the buffed co-eds who put on polyester, sleek-fitting university uniforms and twirl their female counterparts in the air on the sidelines of college football and basketball games. I’m talking about dads.

When I played field hockey at Archbishop Carroll in the glory days of my high school years (we dominated the Catholic League from 1989-92), one of my favorite parts of my game-day routine was waiting for my parents to take their place along the sideline fence. I knew they were always coming to the games to cheer me on, but seeing them arrive just gave me a feeling of reassurance.
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By AML Publisher
Photos by Life Art Imaging

Beckham, a die-hard Phils fan, is the owner of Rittenhouse’s upscale Gastropub, Alfa Bar.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and for Center City restaurant owner and bachelor Joe Beckham, the opportunity came knockin’ in the form of our new summer singles column with AroundMainLine.com. We’ve been putting feelers out with our connections and friends and when Beckham’s name surfaced not once but four times as a top single in the city, we had to give the Wyndmoor native a call. So, we are excited to highlight Beckham as the first eligible and sensational single-in what I know will be a well-received series.

The 36-year-old baby-faced entrepreneur is 6’3”, with brown curly hair, soft blue eyes and a sensational personality to match. Beckham resides in Fairmount but you can find him most Sundays at home having dinner with his family in Ambler-parents, sister and grandmother included. The next lucky lady who gets to wine and dine with Beckham and the ‘rents’ better come prepared for a sophisticated dinner experience. “We are a family who loves conversation. There is nothing idle about our family chitchat. It’s like the McLaughlin Group -my mother will lead the charge on politics and my father on religion. I try to play the devil’s advocate, and my sister is the voice of compassion. Dinner at the Beckham house is not for the faint of heart. You have to know your history, your vocabulary, and your rhetorical skills must be honed. Otherwise you can probably get by if you can do a funny accent that will make us all laugh,” Beckham explained.
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By Lauren Hanat
AroundPhilly.com

I never thought there would come a day when the two most important beverages in my life would be found under one roof. Brew/ Ultimo read my diary; the recently opened spot serves up hand-crafted coffee, brewed drip-style alongside bottles of exotic and eclectic beer. Brew/Ultimo just opened on May 8th and so far only has coffee for sale, but the beer is coming soon, says owner Aaron Ultimo.

Ultimo, who happens to be a U.S. Barista Championship Certified Judge, went into this coffee business endeavor with his wife, Elizabeth. John Lawmaker, owner of the Philly Taproom directly across the street from Brew/Ultimo, is handling the beer end of the deal. In 2001, Ultimo began working with coffee. “It was quite accidental, but it became apparent that I enjoyed it a lot,” Ultimo says of the serendipitous journey. Ultimo himself is enough reason to come to Brew/Ultimo (as if beer and coffee wasn’t enough); running the show at his coffee bar puts him in the spotlight, where he flourishes like Tom Cruise in Cocktail.

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By AML Publisher
Photography courtesy of April Ziegler Photography

A cozy winery hidden on a hilltop in Bucks County has much to offer Main Liners looking for a pleasant daycation this summer.
Peace Valley Winery, Chalfont, PA

In 1967, Susan Gross was working as a chemist, rubbing elbows with horticulturists and thinking about her next career move. A country winery was not on her radar. But, before she knew it, Gross was a proud owner of a bare stretch of cornfield in quaint Chalfont, Pennsylvania. She had never been on a tractor in her life. As many first time entrepreneurs do, Gross went with a gut feeling-experimented with her new piece of property and planted three acres of wine grapes along with a large experimental plot of hybrids from France and Germany.

Seventeen years later, Peace Valley Winery opened (in 1984) with Robert Kolmus as a partner. Today, Peace Valley is a quaint, country winery in the heart of Bucks County farmland with over twenty acres dedicated to over two dozen varieties of grapes. “Our philosophy is one of a laidback approach. We are certainly not wine snobs out here at Peace Valley. We are a working farm and small town vineyard, and our loyal customers prefer us to the state store brands-because we have great wines and they can support a local business” Gross explained.
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By Kailyn Finnegan
AroundPhilly.com

Chula es Puebla is Philadelphia’s newest Mexican taqueria, whipping up some delicious entrées off an extensive and flavorful menu. Located on 1356 North Second Street, this eatery offers everything from the common Mexican dishes, such as nachos and quesadillas, to the more sophisticated plates such as campechanos and mole poblano. Next time you have a craving for some tasty tacos, sculpted with the freshest ingredients, be sure to grab a few friends and a six-pack of Dos Equis and head over to Que Chula es Puebla for an unforgettable meal.

Whether it’s going green or cutting out the carbs, social trends dictate the lifestyles we lead. For restaurant, XIX (Nineteen) at Park Hyatt at the Bellevue, it’s health-conscious drinks and smoothies that are the buzz. Brazilian Nutritionist, Patricia Teixeira, developed the tasty beverages with the intention to help travelers recover from travel stresses and exhaustion. Each smoothie specifically targets certain areas in the body. Patricia Teixeira’s Healthy Smoothie– made with banana, orange juice, strawberries, mint leaf, soy milk and almonds–was created to reduce heart tension. Try out each smoothie variation for $10.

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